Tami Hoag goes back to Louisiana bayou country for Cry Wolf: a romantic serial killer thriller. I usually enjoy Tami Hoag novels, but this one was predictable, long-winded with characters that were so contradictory in their characters. Read my full Cry Wolf book review below:
Title: Cry Wolf
Author: Tami Hoag
Published in 1994
530 pages
Plot: Attorney Laurel Chandler, from the very affluent Chandler clan, returns home from Georgia, where she has recently gone through a rough trial where she lost the verdict and has emotionally fallen apart. She is hoping a trip home to relax and visit her family will help.
But her return is quite different. Women in nearby parishes have been disappearing and ending up days later cast aside along the banks of the bayou. They have been mutilated and strangled with a white silk scarf. The only thing the women seem to have in common is their proclivity towards having loose morals.
When Laurel returns she has a run in with Jack Boudreaux, a large Cajun who is a known womanizer, party man and has a dangerous reputation. Not someone you want to tangle with.
It is not long before Laurel is involved in fighting battles she has no desire to be involved in and the problems only seem to escalate. Without giving away the plot, Laurel is about the become the next victim if she is not careful.
Review:
The plot of Cry Wolf is a good one and the novel would have been a great read except for a few problems. First the two major characters, Laurel Chandler and Jack Boudreaux, are plagued with problems.
Laurel is supposedly this crusader for justice and tough as nails. But she has an emotional crisis over losing a case. Don't want to give away all the reasons, but it seems so contrary to her character. She is also easily pushed around by people, she should be able to crush without blinking an eye. Not to mention the fact that she is a crusader for justice, but has never stood up to one of the biggest injustices in her life and is afraid to due to the fact it might hurt her mothers feelings? That whole story line is so odd that it just does not make sense.
Now for Jack. He has a dangerous reputation based on pretty much nothing. Jack is a party animal who everyone seems to love, writes bestselling novels and makes a good living, but he is tormented by his past and can not forgive himself or let anyone get close to him. Again, when you find out the reasons, you say to yourself, "what the heck is that all about."
Yeah, the scars are hard, but they way he takes them to heart considering what he did in his past and present does just not ring true with the kind of person he is and how he reacts to situations in the book.
Both these two characters are like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. And Tami Hoag goes on and on about it til you just want to throw the book down and say enough already. She could have cut out 100 pages of "oh I hate myself", "I'm not worthy", "don't love me", blah, blah,blah! And the love story between them was like something you would read in a trashy "Romance Novel". Enough to make you sick with the wishy-washy relationship ups and downs.
As for the criminal plot, I figured out who the killer was the first time the character was introduced in to the book. It seemed obvious and every time the character was back, it became more and more obvious who it was and why the killings were going on.
Overall this is not a book I would recommend to anyone to read. If it had been edited down to maybe 300 pages, given the main characters some backbone and some consistency. The most honest and interesting character was Savannah, her sister, who had a reason for her behaviour and her lifestyle.
Not much to recommend, but for those who are Tami Hoag fans or like cheesy romances, you might find the book a pleasant diversion.
Rate 4/10